Our family has visited Japan multiple times and use these apps on every trip
Here are the essential apps we use for safety, convenience, and communication
Whether it’s your first vacation or your next visit to Japan, you have so much to look forward to. And your trip can have less friction and more safety with a few apps for Japan trips.
As of this writing, our own family of four is on our fourth trip to Japan (hello from Osaka!). Below are apps we use on every trip.
A few things to keep in mind: We are based in the USA and are Apple iPhone and Apple Store users. Our app experience, app availability, and other details are all based on what’s available as of 2026. Naturally, apps, features, availability, and other details are all subject to change, and what’s available to you might vary.
NHK World Japan
Available in 19 languages, including English, the NHK World Japan app’s top use is safety and relevant current events. Once installed on your phone, the app can send you safety alerts about weather events or natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis.
For example, we were in Japan when the July 30, 2025, Kamchatka earthquake hit in eastern Russia. We immediately had advisories and news from NHK about potential tsunamis. Since Japan is more prone to risks and damage from natural disasters, we find the NHK World Japan app gives us an extra measure of caution. We can be more informed and prepared if a disaster strikes during one of our visits to Japan.
We also check NHK daily for news when we’re in Japan.
Hint: Look under the app’s Audio tab in the top menu for an excellent daily news podcast and more. Along the bottom, the Japanese section offers quick-bite Japanese words and phrases for travelers.
Safety tips: No, that’s the name of the app
As you get ready for your Japan trip, many apps for Japan trips can make your travels more convenient and help you maintain your personal safety.
From Japan’s tourism board, this concise Safety tips app gives you immediate, at-a-glance access to information based on your location, including:
- Today’s and tomorrow’s temperatures and conditions
- Earthquake information
- Weather information
- Volcano warnings
- Heat illness warnings (we saw lots of those during our July and August 2025 visits, where Japan had its hottest July on record)
- Medical institutions listings
- Transportation
- Evacuation information (when sent during an emergency)
- Learning materials about disasters or other safety issues
- Helpful phrases
- Civil protection information (for example, in May 2024 when North Korea may have launched a missile around Okinawa Prefecture, this section listed updates on the situation)
Digital IC payment cards: Suica, PASMO and/or ICOCA
Quick caveat for Android users: Last we checked, digital IC cards are only available when the Android device itself was purchased in Japan. If you’re not able to get a digital IC card, you may be able to pay with a credit card on your phone, or consider getting a physical IC card you top up with cash at stations.
Technically not an app, but iPhone users add a digital Suica card to their Apple Wallet.
You can find it in the Apple Wallet when you tap the + icon to Add to Wallet. From there, tap Transit Card. You can find options by country. For Japan, as of this writing, that includes:
- ICOCA
- PASMO
- Suica
From JR East (whose coverage includes Tokyo), Suica is the most common. It’s the one we use as well.
Once you’ve added a card, you can top it up via a credit card connected to your Apple Wallet.
Instead of having to buy paper tickets at stations, carry exact change for tram or bus fare, or fish out a physical IC Card (which you would’ve had to go through the extra work to buy from a station), you can instead just use your phone. Topping up via a connected card takes moments.
Ever since we started using a digital Suica in our iPhone Apple Wallets, using public transportation in Japan has become easier than ever.
Having a digital or physical IC card makes your day-to-day time in Japan much smoother. Here’s more info from Japan National Tourism Board about IC cards.
Go
Need a ride? Book taxis and shuttles with the Go app. Similar to rideshare apps such as Grab, Bolt, or Uber, with Go you can pay via app and track your route.
We don’t use this a lot in Japan, since we mostly walk or use public transportation. But the few times we have booked taxis, Go has made it so much easier.
Mapping apps such as Google Maps
Personally, we use Google Maps, but other users may prefer Apple Maps or another mapping and navigation app altogether. Maps.me is popular for offline use, for example, though most apps, including Google Maps, allow you to download maps.
Either way, we use Google Maps just about every day.
For example, yesterday I needed to find a pharmacy. Jodie has been healing up from a cold, and she needed some medicine. With a quick search on Google Maps, I could easily navigate to a nearby pharmacy.
Even better, though, is how well connected Japan’s public transportation schedules are to Google Maps. Whenever we need to take trains and buses, we can sort out routes and schedules through Maps.
Of course, Google Maps also comes in handy for finding services, such as the pharmacy example above, but also shopping, restaurants, and more.
Hint: Searching in your local language doesn’t always give useful results. We find that if we translate the search term into Japanese, we can often find far more places.
Translation apps, such as Google Translate
Similar to Google Maps, we are big fans of the Google Translate app. We have some Japanese proficiency, but it’s pretty limited. Whether someone speaks English is up for grabs anywhere you go in Japan.
With Google Translate, we can quickly type in what we need in English and show a Japanese translation. Going back to the pharmacy example, this is what I did yesterday when I needed to communicate the medicine Jodie needed.
Google Translate also has a conversation mode. We haven’t used this as much here, as we push ourselves to do more speaking and listening comprehension to help us learn Japanese. But people have often used it with us when their English is limited.
Lots of great translation apps are available, including apps that focus more on audio and conversation. We prefer Google Translate. Get whatever works for you, but make sure you have one.
Hint: If you can download the language, do so. That makes it much easier to still run translations if you have a poor connection, such as inside supermarkets, grocery stores, or subway stations.
Weather
Your preferred weather app should work in Japan. The accuracy varies by place and which services feed into the app. We use Apple’s Weather app for iPhone and find it accurate and consistent throughout Tokyo, Osaka, and other Japanese destinations.
NHK and Safety Tips also include weather forecasts and current conditions.
Chats and messaging: Line and WhatsApp
Messaging and chat apps such as Line and WhatsApp are popular throughout Japan. You might see LinePay options for contactless payments, but as of this writing, that’s not available for Line users outside of the Japanese version. (Or, at the least, it’s not in the US version of Line).
WhatsApp is the common ground of chat apps, though. From texting to group chats to scheduling and responding to events, WhatsApp is our mainstay for keeping in touch with people when we’re in Japan. And pretty much anywhere else, for that matter. It’s great for apps for Japan trips and beyond.
Hint: One caveat with communication apps such as Line or WhatsApp: If your accommodation is through a particular vendor, such as Airbnb, keep all communication inside their recommended messaging service. We usually stay in vacation rentals through Airbnb in Japan. Anytime we need to communicate with our host, we do so via Airbnb. That gives us more protection and our host more accountability if there’s an issue with our rental.
Klook
Booking service Klook is probably going to show up in your Japan travel plans. For example, Klook can be the easiest way to purchase services in Japan ahead of time, including:
- Shinkansen tickets
- Airport transfers and shuttles
- Tokyo Disney Resort tickets (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea passes)
- Universal Studios Japan tickets
That’s not an exhaustive list, of course. However, when you are trying to book things in Japan on a non-Japanese credit card, we find that Klook consistently makes it much easier.
Klook steps in when there’s a disconnect between what payment methods Japanese vendors can accept. That’s especially the case for Tokyo Disney. At some point that may change, but so far, when you want Tokyo Disney passes as a foreign visitor to Japan, Klook is your option.
App services and availability vary from country to country
All that said, while many apps for Japan trips are available for payments or other life business, not all of them are available to people from outside Japan.
For example, we’ve seen influencers talk about downloading PayPay. PayPay is an excellent app for making digital payments in Japan. However, as of this writing, when we look in the USA Apple Store, PayPay isn’t even available.
In a similar vein, not all apps will be available where you live, or they might look completely different. Line is another great example. Line can be used for chatting, like WhatsApp. In Japan, many people also use it for payments. However, the US version of the app is completely different, and it doesn’t have the payment option.
Apps for your particular interests or needs
The apps for Japan trips above can come in handy for pretty much anyone visiting Japan. Keep in mind, though, that if there’s something you’re interested in, odds are there’s an app connected to it. Here are a few we are aware of or have found useful:
7-11 Multicopy app from FujiFilm
For use with copy/print machines at 7-Eleven. When we need to print or copy something, this multi-copy app means we can load a file, scan a code at the store, and print out what we need. Plus, get a snack. You’ll need coins for the machine though; no app or card payments accepted.
Multicopy machines at convenience stores can print documents, photos, you name it. It’s come in handy countless times for us.
Mugiwara Point Card app for One Piece merch
Mugiwara stores are the official merch shops for all things One Piece. The Mugiwara Point Card app is only in Japanese, but you can still use it at the register to earn points for special prizes.
Ekitag (エキタグ)
Japan’s ink stamps are our favorite souvenirs. With the Ekitag app, visitors can get digital stamps too. Currently, the app is only in Japanese. We’re planning to try it out on our next visit to Japan though. Try it and see what digital stamps you can collect!
Helpful apps help you enjoy Japan more
Getting around Japan, even for a first-time visitor, is something you can get the hang of quickly. And these apps for Japan trips will make it all the easier to enjoy your time in Japan. Have fun!
